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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

One resource is a website called Distro Watch. You can get some basic information there about most systems, and then visit the sites of the distributions you find interesting to get more information. You can then download an ISO for each system you want to try from those distributions' websites.

Is there a ready to use Linux OS or do I have to be a programer of some sort to Dump MS and it's twin?

You can even run Gnu/Linux Mint from your DVD drive without altering anything in your hard drive. Go and download this link for a torrent then use torrent client to download the iso/CD file, burn it, and run from your DVD drive. Visit this place if you want.

Also, if you want a truly fast Gnu/Linux distro where you can install all needed software/applications of your choice through the internet connection (Gslapt) you may try Salix here. Always use torrent so that you have less errors in downloaded iso file. But you cannot install additional applications in Salix until you have installed it in your hard drive.

Quote:

I've been given the impression in other non Linux groups, by Linux users, that I can download certain OS's and use them, but I can't find anything like that.

Scott

There are many other distros with live CDs you can choose from before making any decision. Visit this place.

My friends in Italy run a small internet shop with 6 machines. 6 years ago they asked me to install linux one of their machines that was getting too old for Windows. I installed Debian Testing which ran without complaint for 5 years. By the time I left Italy they had asked me to install Linux on the 5 remaining machines. I installed Lubuntu on all the machines and they are quite happy with the results. These are public machines and most people used them to browse the internet, print out forms, send email and other routine jobs. In general they didn't even notice they were on a different OS. I think that answers your question, right?
jdk

That answers my question on if this will replace my basic basic use of MS XP. I 'have' Win 7 but it is a step down, loses a few basic features and I refuse to keep paying every few years to have the OS reinstalled. I've been wanting to dump MS since Millennium.
An Off line XP machine will run my backups and photo program, basic surfing and web mail is all I need online for.

Man, I don't even know how to use a forum, I can't find a reply button, only quote/edit/reprot things.

@rokytnji I'll try the second link. I didn't understand anything at the first link, same place I found with a web search.
@malekmustaq Thanks, if I can find time this weekend I'll go to those places and look. I had torrent once a decade or more ago, couldn't make it download AND produce anything intelligible, hopefully that was the XP Home interface and bad ATT connection (which is of course the new and improved bad ATT connections).

Download Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon 64 bits ( or 32 bits).
Make a DVD of downloaded iso.It is a live DVD. You can run Linux without installing it.Try it.
Use forum for help.Use google for any question.
Google will lead to possible answers.
I had tried many linux distros. Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon 64 bits, is the best.
Within couple of months you will learn most of the things what an end user is required to know.

You can make live USB ( 2GB) if required.
Please indicate in your profile which linux distro you are using. It will help others to answer your questions.
Dont hesitate to ask a question.Before staring a new thread search for similar threads.

Before installing Linux, most of the users have a doubt,whether he will be able to open Word Documents and Spreedshhets which are prepared with Windows XP/Windows 7.

You will be able open MS Office files (Word,Spreadsheets) with Libre Office.You can save Spreadsheets after working in libre Office (Calc).,with tools --> option -->Load/Save --> General and choose Default File format as Microsoft Office Excell 200/2003/2007. The files will be saved as excel/word files and can be reopened on any comouter using Windows or linux as OS.

Almost all Linux distributions are ready to use and you don't need to be a programmer.

But "ready to use" does not mean "same as Windows".

Linux is different. Better in many ways that you won't appreciate until you have been using it for a while. Worse in many ways that will take a while to get used to. And just different in many more ways that are neither better nor worse, but will initially seem worse because it isn't what you're used to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Peden

An Off line XP machine will run my backups and photo program

Backups is a strange task for an offline system.

Quote:

basic surfing and web mail is all I need online for.

That is where you will see the least difference between Linux and Windows. If you already use Firefox or Chrome (or anything other than IE) you can continue using it and see only tiny differences.

If you use IE, I think you will discover it is easy to switch to Firefox and Firefox is better than IE once you've switched.

If your initial goals really are that simple, then most of the hurdle will be the initial install. So make decisions that make the initial install easier:

If your Internet connection is less than great, you might not want to download a .iso file for a DVD. Some distributions still have a combination liveCD and installer all in one CD .iso, which is easier to download.

A very common beginner mistake is to burn the .iso file to the CD or DVD in files/folders mode rather than image mode. If the difference between those modes is not obvious in your CD burning program, get a free better CD burning program called ImgBurn and make sure you burn the .iso in image mode.http://www.imgburn.com/

Are you entirely replacing Windows in the computer on which you are installing Linux? Or are you shrinking Windows and installing Linux "dual boot" (such as keeping your offline copy of XP on the same hardware with your Linux). If you are setting up dual boot, look for many other threads in this forum for hints and pitfalls in shrinking Windows and setting up dual boot.

The above links and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links'. More than just SlackwareŽ links!

I do suggest that you use a slow burn rate, 4 should provide a valid burn of the ISO image. Please be sure to burn the ISO image.
Look at:

Quote:

Minimal/Optimized Gnu/Linux Distributions: Minimal/Light Weight: Puppy Linux <- 'Puppy really is small, the live-CD typically being 85MB, yet there really is a complete set of GUI applications. Being so small, Puppy usually loads completely into RAM, which accounts for the incredible speed.'

Simplicity Linux <- 'Simplicity Linux is a Puppy Linux derivative with LXDE as the default desktop environment. It comes in four editions: Obsidian, Netbook, Desktop and Media. The Netbook edition features cloud-based software, the Desktop flavour offers a collection of general-purpose software, and the Media variant is designed to provide "lounge" PC users with easy access to their media.

Linux Mint <- 'The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.'

antiX <- 'antiX is a fast, lightweight and easy to install linux live CD distribution based on Debian Testing for Intel-AMD x86 compatible systems. antiX offers users the "antiX Magic" in an environment suitable for old computers. So don't throw away that old computer yet! The goal of antiX is to provide a light, but fully functional and flexible free operating system for both newcomers and experienced users of Linux. It should run on most computers, ranging from 64MB old PII 266 systems with pre-configured 128MB swap to the latest powerful boxes. 128MB RAM is recommended minimum for antiX. The installer needs minimum 2.2GB hard disk size. antiX can also be used as a fast-booting rescue cd. At the moment antiX-13 "Luddite" comes as a full distro (c690MB), a base distro (c400MB) and a core-libre distro (c135MB) for 32 bit and 64 bit computers. For those who wish to have total control over the install, use antiX-core and build up. Present released antiX-13.2-full version, 05 November 2013: isos and md5sum files available 'Luddite'

Tiny Core Linux <- 'Tiny Core Linux is a 12 MB graphical Linux desktop. It is based on a recent Linux kernel, BusyBox, Tiny X, Fltk, and Flwm. The core runs entirely in memory and boots very quickly. The user has complete control over which applications and/or additional hardware to have supported, be it for a desktop, a nettop, an appliance or server; selectable from the project's online repository.'

VectorLinux <- 'VectorLinux is a small, fast, Intel based Linux operating system for PC style computers. The creators of VectorLinux had a single credo: keep it simple, keep it small and let the end user decide what their operating system is going to be. What has evolved from this concept is perhaps the best little Linux operating system available anywhere.' + 'VectorLinux 7.0 "Light'

Lubuntu <- 'Lubuntu is a fast, lightweight and energy-saving variant of Ubuntu using the LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) desktop. It is intended to have low-resource system requirements and is designed primarily for netbooks, mobile devices and older PCs.'

Damn Small Linux <- 'Damn Small Linux is a business card size (50MB) live CD Linux distribution. Despite its minuscule size it strives to have a functional and easy to use desktop. Damn Small Linux has a nearly complete desktop, including XMMS (MP3, and MPEG), FTP client, links-hacked web browser, spreadsheet, email, spellcheck (US English), a word-processor, three editors (Nedit, nVi, Zile [emacs clone]), Xpdf, Worker (file manager), Naim (AIM, ICQ, IRC), VNCviwer, SSH/SCP server and client, DHCP client, PPP, PPPoE, a web server, calculator, Fluxbox window manager, system monitoring apps, USB support, and soon it will have PCMCIA support as well. If you like Damn Small Linux you can install it on your hard drive. Because all the applications are small and light it makes a very good choice for older hardware.'

CrunchBang Linux <- 'CrunchBang Linux is an Debian-based distribution featuring the light-weight Openbox window manager and GTK+ applications. The distribution has been built from a minimal Debian system and customized to offer a good balance of speed and functionality. CrunchBang Linux is currently available as a live CD; however, the best performance is achieved by installing it to a hard disk.'

ArchBang Linux <- 'ArchBang Linux is a lightweight distribution based on Arch Linux. Using the Openbox window manager, it is fast, up-to-date and suitable for both desktop and portable systems.' CDlinux <- 'CDlinux is a compact Linux mini-distribution. It ships with an up-to-date version of the Linux kernel, X.Org, Xfce window manager, and many popular applications. It has good internationalization and locale support, and is highly user-configurable.' + 'Based on Slackware' + 'Older but still useful'

CRUX <- 'CRUX is a lightweight, i686-optimised Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users. The primary focus of this distribution is "keep it simple", which is reflected in a simple tar.gz-based package system, BSD-style initscripts, and a relatively small collection of trimmed packages. The secondary focus is utilization of new Linux features and recent tools and libraries.'

Linux Lite <- 'Linux Lite is a beginner-friendly Linux distribution based on Ubuntu LTS and featuring the Xfce desktop.'

Easily install to USB, Zip or hard drive media.
Booting from CD (or DVD), the CD drive is then free for other purposes.
Booting from CD (or DVD), save everything back to the CD.
Booting from USB Flash drive, minimise writes to extend life indefinitely.
Extremely friendly for Linux newbies.
Boot up and run extraordinarily fast.
Have all the applications needed for daily use.
Will just work, no hassles.
Will breathe new life into old PCs
Load and run totally in RAM for diskless thin stations

The above links and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links'. More than just SlackwareŽ links!

That's a lot of advice!
Remember that most people (at least in the UK) get their pc from the shop pre-loaded and tweaked, with the o/s.
Downloading the Gnu/Linux of your choice is easy, choice of burning tool? For Windows an old version of Ashampoo is often gratis and will burn the iso. Make sure it is runable as a live version (the iso).
Once you have made the cd/dvd insert it and run it on your pc after/while enabling the pc to boot from the cd/dvd device. Then you will have some idea of what it (o/s) will run like on your pc.If you like it press the button to install. Can't be anymore difficult than ripping cd's?

An ISO is a bootable image of an OS.
I also agree with using ImgBurn to burn that to a DVD (slowly).

As mentioned, a LiveCD version means an image that runs purely from the CD/DVD drive, so you can try it out before installing it.

Linux does have a GUI, and its not that different from MS in the way it works.
Nonetheless, Linux IS different http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
You weren't born knowing MSwin; if you're prepared to unlearn some MS tricks and learn some new Linux ones, you'll be fine.

You can also dual-boot ie create some room on your hard disk and install Linux alongside MS, thus always having the choice as to which one to run.

Hello there all my first post here and I am just thrilled to find a great new community to be in.
That said may I suggest YUMI for windows, stands for Yet Another Multiboot Installer.
if you download an iso image you can use YUMI to install it to a USB flash drive that is bootable and most distros have an installer built right into the live os.
as for distros I would suggest pclinuxos,or ubuntu as these come out of the box with flash and audio video codecs pre-loaded.
Mint is very good as well.
another good option is to install virtualbox to your windows machine and test drive various distros to find the one that best suits your needs.
as well there is Knoppix which runs on just about anything and packs a whole lots of apps into its live dvd.
best of luck and remember there is a learning curve but with a little patience and a whole lot of help from the community you will master it.
Jerome